Fall Preview 2013: Books

By Todd Leopold, CNN

Updated 11:41 AM ET, Thu September 5, 2013

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – Don't miss our fall preview of albums, TV shows and movies to watch for. Want to see everything at once? Here's a complete guide to Fall Entertainment 2013. But as for books, check out "MaddAddam" by Margaret Atwood: The third volume in what's being called Atwood's "end-of-the-world" trilogy presents another tale of the land described in "Oryx and Crake" and "The Year of the Flood." That would be our planet in the near future, incidentally -- a civilization dominated by multinationals who cater to our most craven instincts, if they cater at all. So when the plague comes, what of humanity survives? In Atwood's telling, not much. (September 3)

Hide Caption

1 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "Dissident Gardens" by Jonathan Lethem: The author of "The Fortress of Solitude" and "Chronic City," continues to delve into outer-borough New York, this time with a group of outliers in 1950s Queens and their offspring in "Dissident Gardens." The advance reviews are spectacular. "A righteous, stupendously involving novel," said Booklist. (September 10)

Hide Caption

2 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "Wilson" by A. Scott Berg: The 28th president has taken his lumps in recent years, going from a savior of civilization (just see 1944's movie "Wilson") to being criticized for the Palmer raids, his racial prejudice and the idealistic League of Nations. Berg, who won a Pulitzer for his biography of Charles Lindbergh, presents an even-handed view of the complex man who went from university president to U.S. president in the space of three years. (September 10)

Hide Caption

3 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pynchon: Another book from Thomas Pynchon? The man used to be known as both reclusive and deliberate, but "Bleeding Edge" -- about the high-tech industry before 9/11 -- marks his third novel in seven years. Not exactly the pace of James Patterson, but Patterson's books are shorter than "Gravity's Rainbow." (September 17)

Hide Caption

4 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri: The Pulitzer winner's latest novel is about two Calcutta-born brothers who grow apart. One goes to America for an academic career, the other stays in India and becomes a radical. "A formidable and beautiful book," said Publishers Weekly in an advance review. (September 24)

Hide Caption

5 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King: For many fans, the most terrifying King novel remains one of his earliest bestsellers, 1977's "The Shining." In that book, turned into a Stanley Kubrick film, Danny Torrance -- a young boy with psychic powers -- picks up ominous messages from a sinister, haunted hotel. In "Doctor Sleep," the story picks up years later, with Torrance -- now an orderly at a hospice -- having to save an adolescent girl from a group of villainous vampire-like figures. (September 24)

Hide Caption

6 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "David and Goliath" by Malcolm Gladwell: The newest book by the "Tipping Point" author concerns modern extensions of the biblical story of the boy who beat the giant. How do people who seem weak turn out to be strong -- and have successful careers? Gladwell told BookTV that he was inspired in part by the story of an Indian immigrant in Silicon Valley who molded a winning basketball team; the book also discusses entrepreneurs who succeeded because of their disorders, not in spite of them. The key, he says, is "adaptation." (October 1)

Hide Caption

7 of 8

Photos:

Fall Preview 2013: Books – "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt: Tartt has just two books to her credit -- "The Secret History" and "The Little Friend" -- but both were well-reviewed best-sellers. In her new novel, an orphaned boy clings to an expensive painting, which sees him through an up-and-down life in New York. The book clocks in at almost 800 pages, but critics have praised a powerful narrative that keeps you turning the pages. (October 22)